Iseltwald

Iseltwald
Country Switzerland Canton Bern District Interlaken-Oberhasli 46°42′N 7°58′E
Population	435 (Dec 2010)
- Density	20 /km2 (51 /sq mi)
Area	21.85 km2 (8.44 sq mi)
Elevation	566 m (1,857 ft)
Postal code	3807
SFOS number	0582
Surrounded by	Bönigen, Brienz, Grindelwald, Gündlischwand, Lütschental, Niederried bei Interlaken, Oberried am Brienzersee
Website	www.iseltwald.ch SFSO statistics
Iseltwald
Map of Iseltwald

Iseltwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

History

Iseltwald is first mentioned in 1146 as Iseltwalt.

Geography

Iseltwalt on Lake Brienz

The village lies on a delta at the south bank of Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland. It is 14 km (8.7 mi) from Interlaken, the road mostly running along Lake Brienz. It consists of the village of Iseltwald and the hamlets of Furen, Sengg and Isch as well as scattered farm houses through the woods and into the alps. The village includes the Faulhorn which is 2,680 m (8,790 ft).

Iseltwald has an area, as of 2009, of 21.85 km² (8.44 sq mi). Of this area, 6.85 km² (2.64 sq mi) or 31.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 10.44 km² (4.03 sq mi) or 47.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.51 km² (0.20 sq mi) or 2.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.08 km² (20 acres) or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and 3.97 km² (1.53 sq mi) or 18.2% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. 42.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.6% is pastures and 26.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 7.9% is unproductive vegetation and 10.3% is too rocky for vegetation.

Transportation

For a long time, the only access to the village was through a small regional road or by ferry. Since the building of the A8 Autobahn in 1988, the village has its own junction. . Bus service 3 operates on a half hourly frequency and connects Iseltwald to Interlaken from Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost stations. During summers, a ferry service operates from Interlaken Ost to Iseltwald starting on River Aare and ending at Iseltwald on Lake Brienz.

Demographics

Iseltwald has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 435. As of 2007, 6.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -9.9%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (97.2%), with French being second most common ( 0.7%) and Italian being third ( 0.7%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 47.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (12.6%), the SPS (11.6%) and the local small left-wing parties (11.2%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.9%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Iseltwald about 74.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Iseltwald has an unemployment rate of 1.68%. As of 2005, there were 28 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 13 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 6 businesses in this sector. 129 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 businesses in this sector. The historical population is given in the following table:

year	population
1764	254
1850	562
1900	585
1930	479
1950	537
2000	434

Tourism

Iseltwald is a popular destination for backpackers and skiiers in the Jungfraujoch region. The village has a host of backpacker hostels and Bed and Breakfasts.